Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

woods, the hea

a worl

place God

ch to

tinge appeared instead. There were not many ways of telling when spring came to the Cabbage Patch; no trees shook forth their glad little leaves of welcome, no

; weeds were springing up in the fence corners, the puddles which a few months ago were covered with ice now reflected bits of blue

was the first time he had been there since Christmas day, for hi

d you drove him by home to git on his good coat. He never was to th

d Redding; "he c

an up this mornin'," said Mrs. Wiggs, "so I didn

ap," said Re

nd hastened to change the subject. "What

abou

p her flowers las' year, an' this year she 'lowed she'd fix it different. Chris Hazy, that boy

ng, almost incredulously, as he examined

on to fifteen.

wer-bed she was diggi

smiling at her. "How would you like to go up t

husiasm; she forgot her shyness, and s

ould answer, Mrs

an' kep' it full of flowers all winter; put a lamp in durin' the cold spell. You orter see the things she's painted. And talk about mud pictu

is moment saved Redding

e morning," he called to Asia, as they s

of work, of learning how to do things right, and, above

her, breaking in on her rejections. "Why don't you make it a mason st

son star like

ot five points or six. Either way will do. La

out the Eichorns, the elite of the Cabbage Patch, whose domestic infelicities furnished the chief interest in Mrs. Schultz's life. Lucy had even stood on a chair, at the invalid's earnest request, to count the

by a shout, "That's her a-comin'!" and she was invariably escorted across the commons by a guard of ragged but devoted youngsters. And the friendship of these simple people opened h

s jes' naturally the best man I ever set eyes on, Miss Lucy! Got the biggest heart, an' always doin' something kind fer folks. Jes' now talkin' 'bout gittin' Asia a p

ucy, emphatically. "My rose

nyway," said Mrs. Wiggs, de

so?" dem

shining blue with them black eyelashes rayin' out all 'round

ver the star-eyes

he winder. It's so pretty out today it m

" said Lucy, pulling off her gloves.

the time," she said simply. "Some folks goes right un

," said Lucy; "I mean

died. They wasn't no money in the house, an' they didn't know where to git none. All one night I laid there with my head 'most bustin', jes' worryin' 'bout it. By an' by I was so miserable I ast th

ez, 'don't you

he, lookin'

I, 'I want

m if he wouldn't take my body after I was

ut it in wri

, 'if you'll

' a lady with the rheumatiz witnessed it. So you see," concluded Mrs. Wiggs, "I didn't

you certainly pract

ter pretty often-" Here Mrs. Wiggs tipped an imaginary bottle to her lips, and gave Lucy a significant

ways tried to do better. Mr. Dick sor

s Mr.

. Stays at his rooms s

asked Lucy, the color s

le, an' weaker 'n water. You orter see him watch fer Mr. Bob! He sets by the winder, all propped up with pillars, an' never tecks his eyes offen that corner. An' when Mr. Bob comes in an' sets down by him an' tells him what's goin' on, an' sorter fools with him a spell, looks like he picks up right off. He ain't got

y, but she smiled bravely back at Mrs. W

she said impulsively. "You are one of

way to be good to one! Ain't that 'nough to make a person happy? I'll be fifty years old on the Fourth of July, but I hold there ain't no use in dyin' 'fore yer time. Lots of folks is walkin' 'round jes' as dead as they'll ever be. I believe in gittin' a

dow. Mrs. Wiggs's philosophy was having its effect

r Asia," she said, shaking ou

ur leavin's jes' fits Asia, an' Asia's jes' fits Austry; there ain't no symptoms of them bein' handed down, neither! We all model rig

. Schultz to read to

t should depart without a gift of some kind. Sometimes it was one of Asia's paintings, again it was a package

Mrs. Wiggs, as she held the gate open. "If I wasn't so stove up, an' no